Sugar

Chapter 8- Sour Sweet Gone

Something is wrong.

I'm laying in my bed and everything feels cold, almost empty. The walls whisper to me, echoing with hollow sounds. My hand soundlessly reaches up to cradle the necklace that Jack got me. Tentatively, I get out of bed. My soft feet pad against the floor, leading me to the living room.

What I find stops me dead in my tracks.

The blanket that he sleeps with is folded neatly and placed on the couch. All the pillow are organized and there's no evidence that anybody was living on the couch. There's just one thing that hasn't been there before.

One piece of paper folded up neatly and in the center of our coffee table. My name is printed in bold letters on the top.

Slowly, I reach for it even though my mind is screaming at me to not reach for it. Everything is telling me to stop, to run but my body is numb and I jut keep reaching for the small folded paper.

My fingers unfold the paper, it's a letter. I start to read it and tears start to stun at my eyes.

Dear Liv,
I didn't know how else to tell you this so I wrote you a letter instead.
I'm going back to New York and try to fix things between my parents and I. They sent me away on a bad note and I don't want to lose them like you lost yours so unfairly. My parents might not be the best but they're still my parents and I love them. You helped me realize that.

I'm not coming back, and I'm so sorry to leave like this. But I recently realized, you can do so much better than me Liv. You can grow up, marry a decent guy, pretty soon you're going to forget all about me. You'll fall in love with a guy who is just as sweet as you. I really like you Liv, I really do. I just know that I don't I deserve you.

I had the best summer ever, and I learned so much from you. Thank you for treating me like I could actually be a decent guy.

Thanks,
Jack Archer

A few tears drip down my cheek, each followed by another. A cry escapes my lips and I collapse onto the couch. I pull the blanket towards me and bury my soaking face into it.

He's gone. I think, He's gone and he didn't even say goodbye.

Everything blurs, the entire world a lifeless creature full of gray. I stay there for hours until Aunt Sasha comes to get me. She says something to me and I remember mumbling a few incoherent words to her. The next few days consist of laying in my bed with my eyes wide open. Jenny stays beside me the entire time but I don't say a word. My thoughts are full of him, and I keep wondering when I allowed myself to get so attached to him.

A few days after he's been gone my mind feels like its just woken up. I check the time on my phone and it's nearly midnight. His letter is still sitting on my dresser and seeing it I suddenly light up with an idea.

Slowly, I pull a paper out from my desk drawer and my favorite pen. After a moment of contemplation I begin to write.

Dear Jack,

     I miss you so much that my heart physically aches. I feel like I see you everywhere but you're nowhere at the same time. The past few days I've been crying but I've also been thinking about what you made me promise. You told me, you made me promise that I wouldn't get attached. It's kind of my fault isn't it? Because I was stupid enough to not take you seriously when you meant it this entire time.

I wish you would've at least said goodbye, the only trace left of you was this stupid letter with no way to contact you.

You said that you're never coming back, but I don't believe it. Do you want to know why? Because you said you always came back for me. But until you come back I'm going to let you go.

It's a little bit of a bittersweet coincidence isn't it? That one night when I called you a Sour Patch Kid.

You were sour.

Then you were sweet.

And now you are just gone.

With lots of love,
Olivia Maron

The End.